Lost......and Found!!!!

Last night I felt the panic a parent feels when they can't find a child. If you haven't experienced it yet, I'm sure, at some point, you will. Jeremy and I took the boys to Belk at Dogwood Mall to find Papaw a birthday present and then we were going out to dinner. We took the escalator up to the Men's Department to look around and of course, the boys were hiding in racks and running around. After only a couple of minutes we couldn't find Garrett. We started calling his name justing waiting any minute for him to come out..... He didn't. I picked Graham up and Jeremy and I both started walking around calling Garrett's name. We walked over to the children's area and a lady made a call that we were looking for our son. I described his clothes and gave her his name and age. Still, I'm okay and I'm thinking, "Jeremy better tear his behind up when we see him." For some reason I am unusually calm in situations like this, and Jeremy- as always- is.

After a few more minutes we're both walking around the 2nd floor of Belk hollering Garrett's name. I can hear Jeremy's voice across the whole store. I am beginning to hear the panic in his voice. Now when Jeremy gets scared I get REALLY scared, since he is always the calm one. It is very unusual for Garrett to hide from us or even to walk away from us. My heart started pounding and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Meanwhile, EVERYONE - including employees and customers start looking for Garrett. I am still walking around with the belt in my hand that we were going to buy. (Renee, I thought of you when I couldn't find Graham and I was running around with that pizza in my hand, and you said, "Sha, put the pizza down!") I threw the belt down somewhere, as I just kept aimlessly walking around the same path, not knowing what to do. I just wanted to sit down in the floor with Graham and cry, but I knew that wouldn't help. I just prayed, "Lord, please help us find Garrett. I can't take losing my son!"

At this point it feels like it's been an eternity, but I think it had been about 20 minutes. Jeremy had looked in every rack and the dressing rooms, elevator, and bathrooms. (He told me later that he thought that someone could have gotten him and taken him to a dressing room or something and hurt him in no time. - I'm so glad he waited until later to tell me this.) Belk had initiated their response team to all the exit doors and had called the police. FINALLY, I heard someone say, "We found him!" and a lady was carrying him.

I walked over to Garrett with a scared look on his face. (We DID NOT tear his booty up - I couldn't do that!) We took him in our arms and told him how scared we were and how Momma was crying because I thought I might not ever see him again. I told him they had even called the police. He said, "They were going to put me in jail???" I said, "No, baby. They were going to help look for you." Then he says, "I sorry, Momma. I not do that again." I asked him where he had been and he told me he was under that red table. (It was a display table covered with a red tablecloth.) I said, "What were you doing?" And he said, "Hiding." I said, "Did you hear us calling you?" And he said, "Yes." (At this point we are trying not to laugh.) I said, "Why didn't you come out? Were you afraid you were going to get into trouble?" He said, "Yes."

We finally made our purchases and on the way to the van used to opportunity to talk to Garrett about what to do if a stranger ever tried to get him. As we went to bed we said our prayers and thanked God that we found our Garrett. Life just wouldn't be the same without that sweet boy who loves everybody, loves to "go somewhere" and keeps us laughing. I cannot imagine the panic and fear a parent feels when they never find their child. Needless to say, we let Garrett fall asleep in our bed with us. I think he snuggled in a little closer to me than usual, or maybe it just seemed that way!!!